1. Field
Apparatuses and methods consistent with exemplary embodiments relate to a liquid crystal shutter and an image capturing apparatus, and more particularly, to a pair of liquid crystal shutters capable of dividing one optical path into two optical paths when imaging a three-dimensional (3D) image and an image capturing apparatus including the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Techniques, which image 3D images (stereoscopic images) and display the imaged 3D images, have been already available.
One method of imaging 3D images involves alternately imaging a left-eye image and a right-eye image. Such an imaging method is classified into a method (2L2S method) of using two sets of independent lenses and two image sensors, a method (2L1S method) of using two sets of independent lenses and one image sensor, and a method (1L1S) of using one set of lenses and one image sensor.
The 1L1S 3D image imaging method is advantageous because it is easy to manufacture products in a small size when compared to other methods, and because it is possible to manufacture a 2D/3D compatible lens in the same size as a 2D lens, if an optical path division module configured to divide an optical path into a left optical path and a right optical path is manufactured in an open/close structure.
In the 1L1S 3D image imaging method, a pair of liquid crystal shutters corresponding to the left optical path and the right optical path may be used as the optical path division module. The left optical path and the right optical path may be alternately blocked by the pair of liquid crystal shutters to image a left-eye image and a right-eye image constituting a 3D image. The liquid crystal shutters alternately perform open/close operations to unshield/shield optical paths with a considerably short cycle when imaging the 3D image.
In general, since a response speed of a liquid crystal layer with respect to a driving voltage is sufficiently reasonable in a room temperature environment, problems are not caused when the liquid crystal shutters perform the open/close operations to unshield/shield the optical paths with the short cycle. However, since the response speed of the liquid crystal layer with respect to the driving voltage is considerably reduced with an increase in viscosity of the liquid crystal layer in a low temperature environment (for example, at −10° C.), the liquid crystal shutters cannot smoothly perform the open/close operations to unshield/shield the optical paths when the liquid crystal shutters are driven with the short cycle.